March 2015- Volume 11, Issue 3
March 2015
In this Issue
Clinical Trials
Double, double; myeloma in trouble?
Double, double; myeloma in trouble?
Genmab announces preliminary results in Phase 2 study of daratumumab in double refractory multiple myeloma
‘Catapulting’ forward with MultiStem
‘Catapulting’ forward with MultiStem
Cell Therapy Catapult and £2 million from Innovate UK give some lift to Athersys
Optimizing trials through mobile health technology
Optimizing trials through mobile health technology
Medidata Solutions Inc. recently announced a strategic collaboration with Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd.
A fine showing for migalastat in Fabry
A fine showing for migalastat in Fabry
Amicus reports positive Phase 3 data from a pair of studies
Treatment to target tangles
Treatment to target tangles
TauRx demonstrates potential efficacy of tau aggregation inhibitor therapy in Alzheimer’s disease
Diagnostics
New study support for Metabolon
New study support for Metabolon
Recent study results reinforce the clinical validity of the company’s IGT test
Advancing NSCLC diagnosis and treatment
Advancing NSCLC diagnosis and treatment
Biocept and Insight Genetics team up to evaluate expression and mutation in ALK therapeutic target
Amarantus announces positive Alzheimer’s data
Amarantus announces positive Alzheimer’s data
Clinical study of the LymPro Test confirms statistically significant markers for Alzheimer’s
Preclinical
An answer for glioblastoma?
An answer for glioblastoma?
RES-529 targets TORC1 and TORC2 protein complexes in a dissociative manner to address deadliest brain cancer
The guiding light
The guiding light
Oregon State’s ‘glowing’ nanotechnology guides cancer surgery, zaps remaining malignant cells
Industry-academia attack on GM1-gangliosidosis
Industry-academia attack on GM1-gangliosidosis
Trio of Lysogene, UMass Medical School and Auburn University announce collaboration in CNS disease
Bovine epiphany
Bovine epiphany
Cows inspire TSRI researchers to create therapy that fuses hormones and antibodies
MMRF and Inflection collaborate on new cancer treatment
MMRF and Inflection collaborate on new cancer treatment
Current focus is on preclinical testing of innovative dual-mechanism PIM/PI3K inhibitor IBL-202
Business & Government Policy
Regulatory roundup
Regulatory roundup
Here are just a few highlights of recent regulatory activities worldwide, from patents approved to designations granted to drugs given the green light for one indication or another
Deciphering the language of gene regulation
Deciphering the language of gene regulation
The U.S. National Institutes of Health have awarded grants of more than $28 million total aimed at deciphering the language of how and when genes are turned on and off
Valeant nabs Dendreon for $400M
Valeant nabs Dendreon for $400M
Valeant will gain rights to Provenge and certain other assets
Boosting vaccine vitality
Boosting vaccine vitality
GSK bolsters vaccine division with GlycoVaxyn acquisition
Patent Docs: Supreme Court revises patent claim construction review standards
Patent Docs: Supreme Court revises patent claim construction review standards
Decision comes out of Teva v. Sandoz case and changes standards used for more than a decade
Two orphans for OncoMed
Two orphans for OncoMed
FDA grants Orphan Drug designations to OncoMed’s tarextumab for pancreatic and small cell lung cancer
On the cutting edge
On the cutting edge
A roundup of instrumentation, software and other tools and technology news
Roaring back…but more modestly
Roaring back…but more modestly
Pfizer makes first M&A deal since failing to land AstraZeneca, committing to $17 billion for Hospira
Discovery
‘Wake-up’ pills for cancer immunotherapy
‘Wake-up’ pills for cancer immunotherapy
Curis and Aurigene stretch hands across the sea to jointly discover, develop and eventually commercialize pills to fight cancer
Trash pickup problem
Trash pickup problem
Peptide could repair damaged mitochondria to regulate Parkinson’s disease
Investigating immunocytokines
Investigating immunocytokines
Kymab partners with industry expert for more efficacious, tolerable therapies
Optibrium integrates NextMove algorithm
Optibrium integrates NextMove algorithm
StarDrop software suite will incorporate Matsy algorithm, which generates and searches databases of matched molecular series
Research & Development
Taming the tsunami
Taming the tsunami
UCSD, UCSF launch Cancer Cell Mapping Initiative
New ammo in arms race against antibiotic- resistance
New ammo in arms race against antibiotic- resistance
NIH provides grant to Indiana University to build knowledge base about key bacterial cell processes
Onward and upward with organoids
Onward and upward with organoids
Culturing techniques for liver and pancreas organoids can mirror disease, cancerous states
Catalent, Sanofi collaborate on SMARTag, ADCs
Catalent, Sanofi collaborate on SMARTag, ADCs
Catalent’s tech will help Sanofi evaluate site-selective payload conjugation to enhance ADC PK, efficacy and safety
Kite Pharma moves forward with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on chimeric antigen receptors for cancer immunotherapy
Kite Pharma moves forward with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on chimeric antigen receptors for cancer immunotherapy
Kite Pharma moves forward with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on chimeric antigen receptor approaches for cancer immunotherapy
Feature
AACR 2015 Show Preview: Bringing cancer discoveries to the patients
AACR 2015 Show Preview: Bringing cancer discoveries to the patients
AACR brings the world’s largest cancer research conference to Philadelphia
Q&A
Q&A: Macrocure and the wound-care market
Q&A: Macrocure and the wound-care market
A conversation with Nissim Mashiach, president and CEO of the Israeli company Macrocure Ltd.
Editor's Focus
Out with the broad and in with the rare
Out with the broad and in with the rare
Could a growing interest in rare disease on the part of venture capitalists be to the detriment of novel discoveries by up-and-coming pharmas and biotechs with regard to diseases that affect large populations of patients?
Commentary
Commentary: Candy Land, opioid addiction and help that’s on its way
Commentary: Candy Land, opioid addiction and help that’s on its way
Treatment of many types of pain has relied on opioids, which bring their own set of problems. DDNews Managing Editor Lloyd Dunlap explores some of the progress that may mitigate such problems
Out of order: The vaccine de-bait
Out of order: The vaccine de-bait
DDNews columnist and Features Editor Randall C Willis weighs in on the contentious issue of vaccination and suggests that both sides of the debate may not have much basis for debate in the truest sense of the word
